Forward hand guard assembly for rifle

Abstract

A forward hand guard assembly for a rifle includes an upper metal hand guard which is secured to the receiver rifle by a clamp, and a lower grip which is releasably secured to the upper guard and the clamp by a latching pin. The clamp has a locking mechanism which can be released without tools. The grip is a molded plastic body designed to rest comfortably in the hand.

Description

[0001]This application claims benefit of provisional application 61 / 510716, filed Jul. 22, 2011.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to a forward hand guard assembly for a semiautomatic rifle, such as the AR-15 rifle illustrated in FIG. 1.[0003]The polymer forward hand guards or “forearms” provided as original equipment on many rifles are of large diameter and tubular in design requiring that the shooter's hand be wrapped around the guard (substantially beyond 50% of the circumference of the tube, as shown in FIG. 3b) to get a secure grip. Gripping a large diameter forearm this way is not ergonomic; it tires the hand and lower arm, which results in a poor grip and muscular fatigue. FIGS. 2b and 2c illustrate that the human hand is better suited to grip small diameter cylindrical objects where the fingers and hand can wrap fully around the diameter of the cylinder (locking the cylinder between the fingers and palm); while FIG. 2a shows the hand in an even more idea...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention provides a hand guard assembly for a rifle that offers an improved interface between the weapon and its user. The assembly includes an upper metal portion and a lower, ergonomic grip portion that offers a shallower grip and allows for better handling of the weapon with a relaxed hand. This design allows for easy customization to different user preferences while maintaining the functionality of existing accessories. Overall, this innovation enhances the overall performance and comfort of the rifle.

Problems solved by technology

Failure in any of these areas results in muscular fatigue, which commonly manifests itself through discomfort and shaking or quivering.

Such movement is transferred to the rifle and compromises accuracy.

The fatigue created by the extension in arm and hand results in shaking or quivering of the muscles and causes movements in the weapon's barrel and sights, compromising accuracy.

Conversely, if a shooter grips such guards over less than 50% of the circumference, with sufficient force, the guard will have a tendency to pop up out of the grasp of the shooter.

In such situations more force, only increases the likelihood of the guard jumping.

In addition to the general deep grasp problem described previously, aluminum quad rail guards are also hampered by the sharply machined “picatinny” accessory mounting rails that are machined into their side and bottom profiles.

The consequence to all these designs is that they all add even more circumference around which a shooter's hand must reach, further compounding the deep grasp problem.

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